SkyCast	Air Quality	Protect Your Health	Actions
Good	Healthy	No health impacts are expected when air quality is in this range.	Everyday Actions
Moderate	Elevated Ozone Concentration	Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.	Everyday Actions
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	Ozone Alert (Orange)	Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.	Ozone Alert Actions
Unhealthy	Ozone Alert (Red)	Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.	Ozone Alert Actions

How Can I help Clean the Air?

Knowing what you do that contributes to ground-level ozone and adjusting your daily routine takes us all a giant step closer to cleaner air.

At Home

Mow in the evening. Lawn mowers are major pollutant producers and mowing in the heat of the day just adds more.
Don’t paint in the heat of the day. Avoid using oil-based paints, solvents and varnishes. Don’t use them at all on Ozone Alert! Days.
Go Native. You know rain gardens help water quality, but did you know native landscaping also helps clear the air?

Commuting

Drive less. Multiple trips multiply emissions. Carpooling, mass transit, biking and combining errands make for cleaner air. Driving less not only helps save the air, it also saves you money!
Fuel in the evening. Filling your gas tank during the day adds to the buildup of pollutants. If you fuel after work — or better yet — in the evening, the fumes are dissipated much faster. Don’t gas up at all on Ozone Alert! Days.
Stop topping off your fuel tank. If you "stop at the click" you eliminate the possibility of spills and reduce the ozone- creating fumes that escape into the air at the same time. When you top off, you’re canceling the effect of the anti-pollution devices installed on gas pumps.
Keep vehicles, lawn mowers, ATVs, outboard motors and jet-skis running efficiently. Regular maintenance and oil changes can reduce emissions by 50 percent.

Educating

Spread the word. Talk to your family, friends and neighbors about air quality. If everyone takes small steps and changes just a few habits, Kansas City can be on its way to cleaner air.

What to do on Ozone Alert Days

Ozone Alert means Ozone Action

Ozone Alert days are days when ozone concentrations are expected to reach unhealthy levels. Since more than half of the emissions that form ground level ozone come from everyday people doing everyday things, YOU have the power to reduce ozone pollution.

On an Ozone Alert day:

Cut back on or reschedule strenuous outside activities. Stay indoors in a well-ventilated or air-conditioned building. If you must be active outdoors, try to schedule activity before 11:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m.
Drive less. Combine errands and put off less-necessary trips for a cooler day, carpool, or use public transit. Better yet, take a leisurely walk or bike ride, preferably early in the morning or later in the evening.
Avoid fueling. Simply filling your vehicle with gasoline can lead to pollution as fumes escape and tiny drips and spills occur, and gas vapors react with heat and sunlight to form ozone. If you must fill your tank, do so after dusk. And be sure to avoid “topping off” your tank.
Mow later. Lawn and garden equipment is responsible for an estimated 9 percent of the Kansas City area’s ozone-forming emissions. Postpone yard work that involves power equipment until the Ozone Alert is over.

Taking action on Ozone Alert days will help protect your family's health and help reduce peaks in ozone concentrations.

Join the tens of thousands of Kansas City area residents whose efforts are already substantially reducing ozone forming emissions.